Small towns increase intensity
Staff writer
Dan Tietjen has played larger concerts than Chingawassa Days, but small communities like Marion, where he will play with two bands beginning 7 p.m. Friday, bring their own flair.
“Some of the best gigs are out here because it’s the heartland,” he said. “People come from everywhere. People come from farms, and it’s people who don’t get to anything but work all their lives.”
Playing tributes goes beyond the music, said Tietjen, who plays Nikki Sixx in the tribute band Motley Crucial, and CC Deville in Poison Overdose.
“Nobody looks like someone else,” he said. “If you can move like them and have the hat, makeup, whatever, it totally sells.”
It’s important to know the music completely, Tietjen said.
“Sometimes it’s more nerve-wracking on stage,” he said. “You’re trying to run and jump, and do things you don’t normally do. You need to know the music 110 percent.”
Poison and Motley Crue each maintain a public presence, and that benefits the tribute bands, Tietjen said.
“When Poison is on tour, it’s even better because they raise awareness of themselves,” he said. “People will go see Poison, then they want to come see us to compare.”
Poison Overdose and Motley Crucial play the night before rising country artist Dylan Scott.
Dividing genres is common at festivals, Tietjen said.
“It’s very typical to have rock one night and country the next,” he said. “They don’t necessarily want to put a rock act on the stage the same night as a country one.”
As a fellow artist, Tietjen brings a different perspective to meeting someone like Scott.
“I won’t ask for his autograph or swoon over him” Teitjen said. “He’s just another guy working on the stage.”